Author Biography | Interview | Books by this Author | Readalikes
William Gibson was born in South Carolina in 1948. He coined the term "cyberspace" in the early 1980s and was one of the founding authors of the cyberpunk movement in science-fiction writing with his ground-breaking first novel Neuromancer, which in 1984 predicted the birth of the internet. The film "Johnny Mneumonic" was based on his short story, and he also wrote the screenplay. He's since written several more critically-acclaimed novels – most recently Zero History, and The Peripheral (2014) – and more than 20 short stories.
Gibson also contributes an occasional op-ed and long-form piece to the New York Times, Wired, Rolling Stone and other outlets.
He moved to Canada in the late 1960s and lives today in Vancouver, B.C with his wife.
William Gibson's website
This bio was last updated on 01/01/2015. We try to keep BookBrowse's biographies both up to date and accurate, but with many thousands of lives to keep track of it's a tough task. So, please help us - if the information about this author is out of date or inaccurate, and you know of a more complete source, please let us know. Authors and publishers: If you wish to make changes to a bio, send the complete biography as you would like it displayed so that we can replace the old with the new.
You are famous for having coined the term "cyberspace" in 1982,
how did you hit on it and did you think it would stick like it has?
It didn't seem momentous at the time. I wrote out a list. The only two I
remember were "dataspace" and "infospace" and neither of
those was going anywhere. Then I hit on "cyberspace", and I thought,
"Ooooh, cyberspace. That sounds like something people might actually
say."
You seem to have stopped using the word in your two latest novels, Idoru
and Virtual Light, why is that?
There's something funny going on with the prefix "cyber-". It's
become not fashionable. Somebody told me recently that the proprietors of the
Cybercafe have taken cybercoffee off the menu and I can understand exactly why.
While we're discussing that particular prefix, what about "cyberpunk?
You've been hailed as the king of cyberpunk since your first novel, Neuromancer.
Where did that term come from and what does it mean to you?
I can never remember who coined the term "cyberpunk", but it was
the title of a short story which wasn't itself cyberpunk and had nothing to do
with what was subsequently called cyberpunk. It's something to do with bohemia
and computers ...... it's the ...
Iain (Menzies) Banks was born in Fife in 1954, and was educated at Stirling
University, where he studied English Literature, Philosophy and Psychology.
He came to widespread and controversial public notice with the...
If you enjoyed:
All Tomorrow's Parties
Try:
Inversions
by Iain M. Banks
Steven Barnes is an American science fiction writer, lecturer, creative consultant, and human performance technician.
He has written several novels and teleplays. He has written several episodes of The Outer Limits and ...
(more)
If you enjoyed:
Pattern Recognition
Try:
Zulu Heart
by Steven Barnes
We recommend 10 similar authors
Stories from Suffragette City
by M.J. Rose & Fiona Davis (editors)
One City.
One Movement.
A World of Stories.
Reader Reviews
The author of Orphan Train returns with an ambitious, emotionally resonant historical novel.
About the book
Agent Sonya: Moscow's Most Daring Wartime Spy
Master storyteller Ben Macintyre tells the true story behind the Cold War's most intrepid female spy.
Visitors can view some of BookBrowse for free. Full access is for members only.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
